Low Back Pain

Some would say that intermittent low back pain is part of the human condition. It certainly would seem that way as just about everyone you know will have low back pain at some time in their life. Studies have shown that approximately 80% will experience back pain in their lifetime, more than 50% will have back pain each year, and almost 20% experience it each month. Most people experience back pain infrequently and it generally improves within a few weeks, then life gets back to normal. For others, episodes of back pain are frequent and severe causing lost work days and making even recreational activities difficult. For a few, pain becomes the central focus of their life and they are unable to function.

Surely, with something as common as low back pain, we must have some idea as to what causes it and how to fix it, right? Therein lies the problem...we don't fully understand what causes many episodes of back pain or there would be a pill or a procedure that would alleviate it reliably and safely. Unfortunately, low back pain is somewhat like the "common cold" of the spine. It will affect nearly everyone at some point, and fortunately for most, it usually is a self-limiting problem that will get better with time. Similar to the way a cold is caused by many different organisms, low back pain has many potential causes. Some of these causes are easy to diagnose and have a reliable cure, while other causes elude us and their treatment is less predictable.

Possible causes of low back pain include lumbar sprain or strain, stenosis, herniated disc(s), fractures, spondylolisthesis, instability, infections, tumors, rheumatologic disorders, scoliosis and arguably degenerative changes. Other problems not related to the spine can also present as low back pain such as kidney disease, abdominal aneurysms, stomach and/or intestinal problems, and pelvic problems such as endometriosis or prostate inflammation.

Fortunately, most low back pain is very effectively treated without surgery. Treatment generally begins with a conservative yet highly effective program of stretching and exercise. The exercises help to strengthen the muscles around the trunk and spine which then give more support to the spine itself. Very often, it is the muscles themselves that are painful, either from a sprain or strain, and stretching them out and strengthening them gets them back to a normal, healthy function. For some patients, manipulation and/or lumbar injections can also be very effective additions to treatment.

In summary, low back pain is very common. It is rarely dangerous, and generally responds very well to non-surgical treatment. Staying active and fit can help make episodes of back pain less frequent and less severe.